Chalkwell Redcaps

Tuesday, 30 June 2015

Champions this year went off pretty much the same as my '14 debut:
Leg cramps dominated the five-miler. Disorientation saw me collapsed on
the beach eight miles in. Entering the sea for the final mile I was
frozen to the core and chaffing would be a 'going home present' despite the
precautions taken.

To top things off I finished the 9 mile series in the same time as in
2014. TO THE MINUTE. Rather than reprimand me for 'null progress',
Residing BLDSA President Jean Wilkin-Oxley (English Channel Conqueress of
1972), suggested that I hold the gift of 'Consistency'. I'll take that as
a compliment from one of such pedigree. Six hours 11 minutes and 39
seconds versus my record of six hours 11 minutes and 41. It would hardly
make for an interesting blog to brag about a 'back of the pack' two second PB
so I’m going to spend my word-count wisely, exploring the statement ‘Entering
the sea for the final mile I was frozen to the core’

Sure a warm mug was appreciated between swims. Yes me and my dry
robe were the best of friends. I freely admit to having had the shivers,
blue tinged extremities and lack of dexterity that come with prolonged exposure
to cold water. But ‘frozen to the core’? Nope. And
that's scientifically proven.....

A couple of hours before the five-miler I'd swallowed a magic
bean. Not one received in exchange for a post-partum cow. Alas not
even one that would keep me warm or indeed help me swim faster. This
magic bean operated on a pre-set radio frequency through which it would relay
information about deep body temperature whenever it's transmitter and sensor
came into proximity. Interesting to its ‘ingestees’ and of great value in the
broader context of open water swimming health & safety and emergency search
& rescue. SWIG. Down went the pill to begin it’s journey along my
gastro-intestinal tract......

Readings were taken before and immediately after each leg of the swim
series, with a final check after the nine mile ordeal was done and dusted.
The researcher was Jane Hall, a PhD student from the University of
Portsmouth Department of Sport and Exercise Science (Extreme Environmental
Medicine and Science). In line with all properly conducted research subjects
took part voluntarily and with informed consent. The greatest risk
from participation came from our sport itself. Drowning,
hypothermia. Shut up and swim...... Harking back to my own Master of
Osteopathy research, which all those moons ago also involved human subjects, I
applaud Jane for the work which must have gone before reaching this 'data
collection' phase. Funding applications. The general hoo-har of
ethics committee approval [breaks out into a cold sweat before promptly burying
memories of pedantic arguments, rejections, grovelling resubmissions etc]...

The temperature pill itself was inert and perfectly safe to ingest.
Coming into contact with strong magnets would, however, cause serious
problems (guts ripped out etc…..), so we were all given a medical bracelet to
wear until we’d caught sight of it. Erm, you know ‘in the bowl’……
We could also set off the alarms at airport security. I’m not sure if the
same applies to anti-theft scanners in shops. I guess the ethics
committee didn't much care whether we were given that information.
Perhaps a trip 'up town’ later on to see how much of a nuisance I can
make (note to self: no shoplifting for the next couple of days......)

As well as scanning our abdomens for the temperature readings, Jane
and University of Portsmouth Lecturer Heather Massey needed to collect
additional data from us to control for individual variables. Height,
weight and skin fold thickness would establish our body fat percentage (if you
can pinch more than an inch,,,,,,,). Swimming experience would give an
insight into acclimatisation, a relevant factor in our ability to cope with
prolonged cold exposure.

Having ‘double dipped’ for a total of eight miles, with five and a half
hours swim time on the clock and just a mile to go, I was feeling pretty nippy
when my turn for measurement came around. I'd and layered up to conserve
body heat for the final push but they needed access to my biceps, triceps, hip
and calf. So off came the clothes and up went the shivering. The job was
done rapidly and efficiently (thanks girls) and it was back on with the layers
just in time to be asked 'Can you take your top off again please? We need
to repeat the measurements’. I actually thought they were having me on. Yeah
ha ha funny. But no!!! The measurements were to be repeated because
using the calipers first time around squeezes water out of the tissues so a
second reading is more accurate. Quick grimace, off with the layers, on
with the pinchey contraption, ouch, ouch, yikes and back on with the clothes
again. Just in time to have to take them off and venture back into the
waters for the final mile......

Oh what a teasing merry-go-round Champion of Champions is. And how
I longed for that finishing line, dreamed of sipping a hot beena and looked
forward to donning every item of clothing in my kit bag…….. The water
temperature was 14 point something. A couple of degrees cooler than in
2014 and about one degree warmer than the previous two weekends in Dover
Harbour when I’d slogged out four, five and six hour sessions with Freda
Streeter’s Channel Swimming Posse. With ‘normal’ body temperature in the
region of 37 degrees, and taking the physical laws of heat transfer into
account, there was certainly scope for observing a drop.

BUT (drum roll)…….

Throughout the whole series of swims Jane & Heather never ONCE
recorded a reduction in my temperature!!!!! I stayed a consistent 37
point something degrees throughout.

Perhaps the cold was prevented from sinking too deeply through a combination
of my ‘bioprene layer’, cold water acclimatisation, warm feeds and shivering
thermogenesis between swims. Maybe peripheral vasoconstriction and
the body heat generated by keeping those legs kicking and arms turning over for
my six plus hour extravaganza in the water off-set thermic losses.
Whatever the answer, my thermoregulatory systems served me well.
Thank you love handles, thank you winter swimming, hot beena, maxim,
stroke rate, silicon cap…….

If anyone is interested in taking part in this fascinating study then
Jane and Heather will be at the Henley Mile swim on July 12th and are
looking for more volunteers. It’s not just skins swimmers they are
after. Information from suited participants is also needed for
comparison. If you are up for it then please do contact Jane at jane.hall@port.ac.uk

Well done to the BLDSA and to Swim Secretary Mark Sheridan for a
seamless execution of the Championships. Huge thank you to land and
sea-based support: kayakers, safety rib-crew, timekeepers, lap counters, jelly
baby throwers, kettle boilers, first aiders. The list goes on. We just
could not go ahead without you. And congratulations to everyone
completing or attempting the event. It’s a toughie but worth it.
Everyone comes out a Champion :)

I wait with much excitement for the temperature study research to be
published. But for now I’ve got a Gillian McKeith job on my hands: To
wait with even greater anticipation to catch sight of that little
capsule. Plopping through a sieve, poking at my number two’s with a sharp
object or taking a magnet to the lavvy. By hook or by crook and sooner
rather than later that ‘No MRI’ bracelet will be snipped off. I'll keep
you posted.....